>>how sweet it is. these are just some of the people i owe money to down here in
florida
. anyway,
happy birthday
, elizabeth hughes. what a beautiful lady. she is from kankakee, illinois. absolutely gorgeous at 100. she loves to do
fleur de lis
an art all in itself. and hello, ruby -- don't take your love to town --
ruby jones
, 105 years old today from merriam, kansas. she never smoke and never drank. that's living the good life. we wish
james fox
a
happy birthday
, evansville, indiana. 100 years old today. he is something else. loves mariachi bands. i do, too. dance and everything. alice shepardson. always loved that name. in the great
state of maine
, 100 years old, plus two. 102. can you believe that? and she loves to laugh and eat
ice cream
but not at the same time. very messy. very messy. boyd york from tyner, kentucky, 100 years old today. and he is something else. absolutely no medication until he was 91. francis wirick from the great state of
florida
, not too
far away
from here. 102 years old today. she taught all her life and she loved teaching. frances klein is from deerfield,
florida
.
deerfield beach
. 100 years old today. loves to watch all those variety shows on tv. okay, gang. what do you do now?
Meet?Hunter Boyle,?a multichannel marketer and content strategist, who is now Senior Business Development Manager at Aweber. At Affiliate Management Days SF 2013 (April 16-17), Hunter will be revealing ways in which affiliate managers and advertisers may effectively maximize affiliate relationships with email.
* * * * *
Question: If you were to emphasize one important area that every affiliate manager should be paying more attention to, what would it be and why?
Hunter Boyle: Engagement. That applies to long-time affiliates just as much as the new faces joining your crew. The channels you?re using ? email, social media, webcasts, the offers and tools you?re presenting ? have to capture the attention of your affiliates and get them excited to promote you.
So if you?re not focusing on, measuring and testing ways to improve engagement, you?re leaving a ton of money on the table.
Question: What do you see as the main areas of opportunity for online marketers in 2013 ? 2014?
Hunter Boyle:?There?s a surge happening these days around content marketing. If that?s not the buzzword of the year, I don?t know what is. But aside from the hype, there?s enormous value in the ability to consistently create and deliver exceptional content. Particularly as a marketing tool for affiliates.
The best affiliate marketers are those who use trust, authenticity and authority to build up their networks. They succeed because their recommendations carry real weight online. Can affiliates cultivate those circles with an endless cycle of overt sales pitches? Only in rare instances, such as deals sites, does that work. ?And that?s a whole separate topic.
That?s why, all the buzz aside, an effective content marketing strategy is essential for affiliate marketers. Same goes for affiliate managers. Developing the messaging, goals, process, tools, metrics, a testing plan and training affiliates to succeed with them is a major opportunity for affiliate managers.
Question: What do you believe to be the top 3 present day challenges that online oriented small businesses should be aware of? And where can solutions be found?
Hunter Boyle: ?Judging by the small businesses I know and work with, the top three challenges don?t really change that much:
That?s the trifecta that most small businesses struggle with in marketing and beyond. In most cases, they?re very passionate about their work and business. They have clear goals in mind. Where it gets tricky is trying to keep up with the pace of change in marketing. ?Often because they?ve got a small team or are doing most of it themselves without the bandwidth to become experts in content, email, social, SEO (search engine optimization), PPC (pay per click), affiliate marketing and so on.
I wish I could say that?s likely to change. But the ?small? part of small businesses is why it rarely does. Small business leaders really need to focus on what?s legitimately going to drive business growth and minimize the distractions, latest fads and initiatives that don?t support the growth goals.
How do you determine where to draw those lines?
I think the best place to find solutions is right from your prospects and customers themselves. That means putting some real thought into assessing your marketing analytics (site, email, social) and test results. Supplementing that with qualitative data such as customer polls, email queries and responses, blog comments and good old-fashioned jawboning, like phone calls, site visits, live events or online chats like Google Hangouts.
This approach reflects the customer first mentality behind the lean product development model, usability design, listening with social media, and so on. And rightly so because these days, customers and prospects play a critical role in your business development process. That?s especially true of small and independent businesses.
Question: As an email marketing expert, what do you view as the number one overlooked component of a healthy email marketing campaign?
Hunter Boyle: ?The welcome series. Hands down. I like to compare it to first impressions when you meet someone in real life. Even though the website and email sign-up form are technically first impressions, let?s be honest, that first email or two that we get when subscribing really sets the tone for the entire lifecycle, right?
I dread signing up for yet another email. I work in the industry. We all do these days. We all get too much of it and we decry our overflowing email inboxes. So think of what the emails you actually love to get have in common: They often ?wow? you. Whether it?s because the content is funny or personable or makes you think or helps you discover cool sites and ideas or offers great deals. We want to be impressed by that diamond in the rough of dozens of subject lines.
Welcome messages can do that. An unexpected 15% coupon or a high quality ebook or video bonus ? these are pretty standard. But a welcome series, spread out over the first few weeks, that?s designed to familiarize readers with actually using your product or service, isn?t as common.
Content that delivers awesome value and an engaging experience, is coordinated with social channels and is timed to get an optimal response rather than annoy readers? That?s mighty rare. Testing a series like this should be a priority for all digital marketers this year.
Question: Can you give us one piece of advice regarding how to increase email open rates and two tips on how we can improve click through rates?
Hunter Boyle: ?You can increase open rates with subject line and timing tests. But those tend to be incremental, one-off gains that are hard to replicate or maintain. That said, we ran a timing experiment, not a test by the purist definition, and doubled our click through rate with a send to our affiliates on Saturday morning.
One tip would be to keep experimenting. Even if it doesn?t fit all of the official testing criteria. I know that makes some of my optimization friends cringe. But we?re not robots. People send emails and people receive emails. I?m not suggesting anyone replace serious testing with experiments like the one above. In fact, doubling the clicks absolutely made us want to set up a formal test to explore further.
That?s the benefit of experimenting: It can lead you to new ideas and surprises and help you formulate more exacting tests.
Another tip for click through is ensuring your emails and links in particular, are mobile-friendly. Video is getting more and more popular. If you?re using the standard screen capture with play button image, with alt text (alternative text), that?s going to render nicely in mobile and could be a click magnet.
Whereas, if you?re using embedded text links and just one or two words are linked or it?s not clear that an image is a live link or you have way too many links ? you?re going to see lower response rates from the growing smartphone population.
So make sure you?re testing mobile compatibility and usability before you hit send. And keep checking your analytics.
* * * * *
The upcoming Affiliate Management Days conference?takes place April 16-17, 2013. Follow @AMDays or #AMDays on Twitter. When registering, make sure to use the code SBTAM250 to receive an additional $250.00 off your two-day (or combo) pass. Early bird rates are valid through March 1, 2013.
The rest of the interview series from #AMDays may be found here.
The post Hunter Boyle: Affiliate Management, Challenges and Email Marketing #AMDays appeared first on Small Business Trends.
FILE - In this Monday, Jan. 28, 2013, file photo, Bud Light beer is shown in the aisles of Elite Beverages in Indianapolis. Beer lovers across the country have filed $5 million class-action lawsuits accusing Anheuser-Busch of watering down its Budweiser, Michelob and other brands. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)
FILE - In this Monday, Jan. 28, 2013, file photo, Bud Light beer is shown in the aisles of Elite Beverages in Indianapolis. Beer lovers across the country have filed $5 million class-action lawsuits accusing Anheuser-Busch of watering down its Budweiser, Michelob and other brands. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)
PHILADELPHIA (AP) ? Beer lovers across the U.S. have accused Anheuser-Busch of watering down its Budweiser, Michelob and other brands, in class-action suits seeking millions in damages.
The suits, filed in Pennsylvania, California and other states, claim consumers have been cheated out of the alcohol content stated on labels. Budweiser and Michelob each boast of being 5 percent alcohol, while some "light" versions are said to be just over 4 percent.
The lawsuits are based on information from former employees at the company's 13 U.S. breweries, some in high-level plant positions, according to lead lawyer Josh Boxer of San Rafael, Calif.
"Our information comes from former employees at Anheuser-Busch, who have informed us that as a matter of corporate practice, all of their products mentioned (in the lawsuit) are watered down," Boxer said. "It's a simple cost-saving measure, and it's very significant."
The excess water is added just before bottling and cuts the stated alcohol content by 3 percent to 8 percent, he said.
Anheuser-Busch InBev called the claims "groundless" and said its beers fully comply with labeling laws.
"Our beers are in full compliance with all alcohol labeling laws. We proudly adhere to the highest standards in brewing our beers, which have made them the best-selling in the U.S. and the world," Peter Kraemer, vice president of brewing and supply, said in a statement.
The suit involves 10 Anheuser-Busch products: Budweiser, Bud Ice, Bud Light Platinum, Michelob, Michelob Ultra, Hurricane High Gravity Lager, King Cobra, Busch Ice, Natural Ice and Bud Light Lime.
Anheuser-Busch, based in St. Louis, Mo., merged with InBev in 2008 to form the world's largest alcohol producer, headquartered in Belgium. In 2011, the company produced 10 billion gallons of malt beverages, 3 billion of them in the U.S., and reported $22 billion in profits from that category, the lawsuit said.
According to the lawsuit, the company has sophisticated equipment that measures the alcohol content throughout the brewing process and is accurate to within one-hundredth of a percent. But after the merger, the company increasingly chose to dilute its popular brands of beer, the lawsuit alleged.
"Following the merger, AB vigorously accelerated the deceptive practices described below, sacrificing the quality products once produced by Anheuser-Busch in order to reduce costs," said the lead lawsuit, filed Friday in federal court in San Francisco on behalf of consumers in the lower 48 states.
Companion suits are being filed this week in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and elsewhere. Each seeks at least $5 million in damages.
The named Pennsylvania plaintiffs, Thomas and Gerald Greenberg of Ambler, said they buy six cases of the affected Anheuser-Busch products a month. They did not immediately return a message Tuesday, and Boxer would not elaborate on their purchases except to say the consumer-protection suit does not involve retailers or bar owners.
One of the California plaintiffs, Nina Giampaoli of Sonoma County, said she bought a six-pack of Budweiser every week for the past four years.
"I think it's wrong for huge corporations to lie to their loyal customers ? I really feel cheated. No matter what the product is, people should be able to rely on the information companies put on their labels," Giampaoli said in a news release issued by Boxer's law firm.
Bloomberg News first reported Tuesday on the lawsuits.
In a telephone interview with The Associated Press, Boxer said he has evidence to corroborate the former employees' allegations, but stopped short of saying the beers had been independently tested.
"AB (Anheuser-Busch) never intends for the malt beverage to possess the amount of alcohol that is stated on the label. As a result, AB's customers are overcharged for watered-down beer and AB is unjustly enriched by the additional volume it can sell," the lawsuit said.
Deep down we all know we're doing terrible things to our spines by slouching down in our office chairs. But if this posture-perfecting chair is the solution to avoiding a sore back at the end of the day, the cure might actually be worse than the disease. More »
We already know the cloud is a big deal in higher education and the rest of the enterprise-technology world. But just how big a deal? CDW recently released their annual State of the Cloud survey, detailing ?what drives the shift to the cloud, what types of applications organizations are taking to the cloud and what benefits (beyond cost savings) they are achieving.? Twelve hundred IT professionals contributed to this comprehensive survey; we?ve provided a few highlights below.
Cloud Computing Is a Business Decision
Perhaps because the adoption of cloud computing has largely been driven by consumer use, executives and administrators are getting involved in the move to the cloud. Of those surveyed, 46 percent felt that ?non-IT senior management is more involved in the cloud decision than in other IT decisions.? This is significant because IT no longer operates in a vacuum. End users are increasingly interested in and appreciative of the technology delivered by IT departments. For colleges ? whose end users are largely digital natives and participants in the mobile revolution ? technology decisions tend to be driven by the needs of users. Involving actively engaged users in the decision-making process is a positive thing, but doing so makes it harder to meet their demands.
Why Are Colleges Moving to the Cloud? IT Pros Explain
When asked why they had moved or were planning to move applications and data to the cloud, nearly all of the IT workers surveyed cited productivity. The cloud improves efficiency and mobility and frees IT staff to work on other projects. Reduced operating costs ranked fifth on the list of top reasons. A post on The Art of Service explains:
To simply say that cloud computing can increase productivity in the workplace is a bit of an understatement. The truth is, cloud computing can effectively redesign the way your business approaches and accomplishes the work it performs on a daily basis. In this way, cloud computing is less a means to improving productivity and more of a comprehensive infrastructure which allows for the increased streamlining of inter-office activities.
Read How can cloud computing improve productivity?
What Are Colleges Moving to the Cloud?
Consistent with the theme of increased productivity, messaging is the most popular application that has been moved to the cloud, with conferencing and collaboration a close second. Communication tools in the cloud give users more ways to communicate. It?s a simple concept that has a profound effect on the way employees work and students study. Microsoft Office 365, for example, gives students a suite of productivity tools in the cloud, including e-mail, word processing and instant messaging, and it?s easily accessed on any computer or mobile device with an Internet connection.
We've seen our fair share of rugged smartphones, but there's a certain amount of attention due when a heavy equipment builder like Caterpillar gets involved. Its newest smartphone, the CAT B15, undoubtedly has the survivability you'd expect from a company that makes bulldozers: the aluminum-and-rubber shell can survive 5.9-foot drops on to hard concrete, stay immersed in 3.3 feet of water for half an hour and keep working in temperatures between -4F to 122F. Just don't expect top-flight performance elsewhere. While we're big fans of the CAT B15 shipping with Jelly Bean, its 4-inch WVGA screen, dual-core 1GHz Cortex-A9 chip, 512MB of RAM and 5-megapixel camera won't have many of us giving up our faster, more fragile devices. The phone's £299 and€329 European prices (about $437) could still lead to the more accident-prone among us picking up a CAT B15 when it ships in March.
KermMartian writes "The TI-84 Plus C Silver Edition isn't the first color-screen graphing calculator, or even TI's first color calculator, but it's a refresh of a 17-year-old line that many have mocked as antiquated and overpriced. From an advanced review model, the math features look familiar, solid, and augmented with some new goodies, while programming looks about on par with its siblings. The requisite teardown uncovers the new battery, Flash, ASIC/CPU, and LCD used in the device. Although there are some qualms about its speed and very gentle hardware upgrades beyond the screen, it looks to be an indication that TI will continue this inveterate line for years to come." Lots of screenshots and pictures of the innards too.
FILE - This undated publicity photo released by Kino Lorber, Inc. shows Co-director Emad Burnat with his five broken cameras. Burnat and Guy Davidi co-directed the documentary film, "5 Broken Cameras." Immigration officials briefly detained the Palestinian director of the Oscar-nominated documentary "5 Broken Cameras" on his way into town for Sunday's Academy Awards. Burnat says that when he arrived at Los Angeles International Airport from Turkey with his wife and 8-year-old son late Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013, he was told he didn't have the proper proof that he was a nominee. (AP Photo/Kino Lorber, Inc, File.)
FILE - This undated publicity photo released by Kino Lorber, Inc. shows Co-director Emad Burnat with his five broken cameras. Burnat and Guy Davidi co-directed the documentary film, "5 Broken Cameras." Immigration officials briefly detained the Palestinian director of the Oscar-nominated documentary "5 Broken Cameras" on his way into town for Sunday's Academy Awards. Burnat says that when he arrived at Los Angeles International Airport from Turkey with his wife and 8-year-old son late Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013, he was told he didn't have the proper proof that he was a nominee. (AP Photo/Kino Lorber, Inc, File.)
FILE - In this Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2013 photo, documentary film director Palestinian Emad Burnat poses for a photo after an interview in Los Angeles. Immigration officials briefly detained the Palestinian director of the Oscar-nominated documentary "5 Broken Cameras" on his way into town for Sunday's Academy Awards. Burnat says that when he arrived at Los Angeles International Airport from Turkey with his wife and 8-year-old son late Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013, he was told he didn't have the proper proof that he was a nominee. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Immigration officials briefly detained the Palestinian director of the Oscar-nominated documentary "5 Broken Cameras" on his way into town for Sunday's Academy Awards.
Emad Burnat says that when he arrived at Los Angeles International Airport from Turkey with his wife and 8-year-old son late Tuesday, agents told them they didn't have the proper proof that he was a nominee and would send them back if they couldn't verify the reason for their visit. After about an hour of questioning, the agents allowed Burnat and his family to enter the country.
Oscar-winning documentarian Michael Moore said on his website that he helped clear up the matter by making some phone calls on Burnat's behalf.
Burnat had just been in the United States two weeks earlier doing interviews about the film alongside his co-director, Israeli activist Guy Davidi, including some with The Associated Press.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement that it is prohibited from discussing specific cases, but noted that in general, "travelers may be referred for further inspection for a variety of reasons to include identity verification, intent of travel and confirmation of admissibility."
Moore, a friend of Burnat's and a champion of his work, wrote on his website, michaelmoore.com, that Burnat texted him from an airport holding area seeking help. Moore said he made a few calls to leaders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, who contacted some attorneys to clear up the matter. The Academy did not respond to a request for comment on Burnat's detainment.
"5 Broken Cameras," the first Palestinian documentary ever nominated for an Oscar, already has won awards at the Sundance Film Festival and the Cinema Eye Honors. It features footage that the olive farmer-turned-filmmaker shot using five cameras in his occupied West Bank village of Bil'in, from everyday activities with his family to protests and shootings. The son with whom he is traveling, Gibreel, was the inspiration for buying the first of these cameras in 2005; like so many parents, Burnat wanted to document the boy's first steps and smiles.
But he also found himself wanting to capture the tension and fighting that are daily occurrences in the struggle for territory. In the film, his cameras keep getting destroyed in the violence.
Because of his experiences, Burnat said in a statement Wednesday, he's gotten used to the kind of questioning he and his family underwent at LAX.
"There are more than 500 Israeli checkpoints, roadblocks, and other barriers to movement across our land, and not a single one of us has been spared the experience that my family and I experienced yesterday," he said. "Ours was a very minor example of what my people face every day."
___
Contact AP Movie Writer Christy Lemire through Twitter: http://twitter.com/christylemire
CHICAGO (AP) ? Brent Seabrook and Jonathan Toews each had a goal and an assist to help the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Los Angeles Kings 3-2 on Sunday, extending their season-opening points streak to 15 games.
Patrick Sharp also scored for the Blackhawks (12-0-3), who matched the 1984-85 Edmonton Oilers for the second-longest season-opening points streak in NHL history. Chicago is one away from the league record, set by Anaheim in 2006-07, and will try to match the mark on Tuesday when it hosts Vancouver.
Mike Richards scored two power-play goals in the third period to pull the Kings within one after Chicago had built a 3-0 lead.
Blackhawks backup goalie Ray Emery made 25 saves. He lost a bid for his first shutout in more than three years when Richards connected 56 seconds into the third period.
Emery made back-to-back starts for the first time this season as Corey Crawford missed his second game with an undisclosed upper-body injury.
Sharp, who led Chicago with 33 goals last season, ended a 10-game drought without a score.
The Blackhawks outshot the Kings 37-27, and defeated the defending Stanley Cup champions for the second time this season to end Los Angeles' two-game winning streak. Chicago won 5-2 in the teams' season opener at Staples Center.
Jonathan Quick started in goal for the Kings after backup Jonathan Bernier was in the nets in Los Angeles' previous two games. Quick finished with 34 saves.
Los Angeles played again without three injured defensemen ? Willie Mitchell, Matt Greene and Alec Martinez.
Chicago was a step faster than the Kings in the first period and held a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes.
Seabrook opened the scoring 6:29 in to cap a Chicago flurry in the Kings' zone, and after Quick had made several in-close saves.
Seabrook pinched down to the low edge of the left circle, and took a pinpoint feed from Duncan Keith who threaded a cross-ice pass from the top of the right circle. Seabrook then slid a shot into an open net before Quick could dive across.
Toews' power-play goal 4 minutes later made it 2-0. Stationed in the slot, Toews first tipped Keith's feed off the right post, but buried the loose puck before Quick could cover it.
Sharp exploited a Kings coverage breakdown and increased Chicago's lead to 3-0 just 56 seconds into the second period. Quick dropped to the ice to block Toews' stuff-in attempt at the side of the net, but the puck popped into to slot. Sharp was wide open and fired high into the net before Quick could recover.
The Blackhawks were in control for most of the second period and outshot Los Angeles 21-10. But Emery had to make several tough saves late in the period ? including in-close stops on Dustin Brown and Jeff Carter ? to keep the Kings off the scoreboard.
Richards cut it to 3-1 early in the third. With Brown providing a screen at the edge of the crease, Richards' high shot from the top of the slot sailed past Emery.
Richards' second power-play goal trimmed it to 3-2 with 7:10 left. This time, he beat Emery from the top of the left circle with Brown screening.
The Blackhawks spent the final 1:04 short-handed after Johnny Oduya was sent off for slashing, and Quick was pulled for an extra attacker during span.
NOTES: Before the game, Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said Crawford was "progressing" and is day-to-day. When asked if Crawford's condition might be long-term, Quenneville replied, "I don't foresee that yet." Crawford ? who has a 7-0-3 record, 1.65 goal-against average and .935 save percentage ? has not skated since sustaining his injury, apparently in a 3-2 shootout loss to Anaheim last Tuesday. ... Anaheim won the Stanley Cup in 2007 after its record-setting points start. Edmonton, which started the 1984-85 season with points in 15 straight, and Montreal, which opened with 14 straight in 1943-44, also won the Cup in those seasons.
Empirical research on the effects of science fair participation seems scant, but the research that does exist suggests that participation is generally a positive experience for students, that participation increases scientific literacy, and, importantly, that participation results in an increased understanding the process of science.
One study conducted in Canada, for example, found that in their project notebooks, students ?frequently attended to claims-making practices recommended in science education literature, especially involving argumentation and concepts of evidence,? and that their conclusions ?were often supported through the use of replication, triangulation, and often statistical analysis, with their findings embedded in a broader research literature.? In other words, students appeared to be using the same sorts of reasoning processes upon which scientists rely. The researchers concluded that students who participated in science fairs successfully learned ?many of the normative practices of science investigation.?
But that?s for students who are already participating in science fairs. It is perhaps of greater importance that science fairs be able to reach those students who might not already eagerly participate whether due to motivation or circumstance. As Bora Zivkovic noted several years ago,
How do we increase scientific knowledge and understanding of the general population? No matter how good we are at science reporting and science communication as a whole ? this will not matter as long as this is a ?pull? culture and most people will never get to see any of that science communication anyway, be it good or bad.
And, as Danielle Lee wrote recently,
For kids like my students ? inner-city kids from poor families (whether working-class or on welfare), average or below-average academic performance, some with behavior problems ? interests in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) dies by 10th grade and one of three things kill the promise of opportunity.
Indeed, the researchers in the study mentioned above pointed out that they observed ?significant signs of most participants? elite status. For instance, students appeared to dress and speak well, and many seemed to have access to relatively expensive technologies, such as cell phones and laptop computers. It was not unusual, according to interviews, for students to spend hundreds of dollars on preparing their display?and some even utilised graphic design firms to maximise their impact.? Only one student that they interviewed after a 2005 fair reported that he had dial-up internet at home; the rest had high-speed access. Not to mention the financial resources to purchase supplies and equipment, and the social support from their friends, teachers, and parents.
Meanwhile, a recent count indicated that in Los Angeles County, more than one million K-12 students receive free or reduced price meals ? a whopping 65% of the total enrollment. Nearly a quarter of all students in LA County are English language learners.
These are students who will increasingly require basic scientific literacy if they are to become informed, healthy, voting members of society. These students ? like all students ? need to understand basic ideas governing health, medicine, and the way their own bodies work. They need to understand where the energy that powers their refrigerators and cell phones and cars comes from.
In America, it is generally during high school that we solidify our own perceptions of our selves. In a recent New York Magazine feature, Jennifer Senior pointed out,
Our self-image from those years, in other words, is especially adhesive. So, too, are our preferences. ?There?s no reason why, at the age of 60, I should still be listening to the Allman Brothers,? [Laurence Steinberg, a developmental psychologist at Temple University] says. ?Yet no matter how old you are, the music you listen to for the rest of your life is probably what you listened to when you were an adolescent.? Only extremely recent advances in neuroscience have begun to help explain why.
It turns out that just before adolescence, the prefrontal cortex?the part of the brain that governs our ability to reason, grasp abstractions, control impulses, and self-?reflect?undergoes a huge flurry of activity, giving young adults the intellectual capacity to form an identity, to develop the notion of a self. Any cultural stimuli we are exposed to during puberty can, therefore, make more of an impression, because we?re now perceiving them discerningly and metacognitively as things to sweep into our self-concepts or reject (I am the kind of person who likes the Allman Brothers). ?During times when your identity is in transition,? says Steinberg, ?it?s possible you store memories better than you do in times of stability.?
Access to scientific information ? or inaccess to scientific information ? has real, tangible consequences. The relationship that children and adolescents have to science will likely stick with them for the rest of their adult lives.
The LA County Science Fair has a rich history. By 2010, the fair grew so big that it was moved to a larger space ? the Pasadena Convention Center. That year, there were 1500 projects, and projects presented by young women outnumbered those presented by young men by thirty percent!
On the surface, this is great news. But all of this is a preamble to the following.
I woke up this morning to an alarming-if-unsurprising email from Dean Gilbert, President of the Los Angeles County Science Fair Committee. This year?s science fair, scheduled for next month, may not even happen due to fundraising shortfalls, and as a result, a 2014 science fair has not yet been scheduled.
Wednesday night at the monthly Science Fair Advisory Board meeting, I stated that as of right now, having the 2013 Los Angeles County Science Fair is in serious question and that there will be no Science Fair scheduled for 2014. This is because we are $70,000 short of our current year fundraising goal and still need another 150 judges.
If you?re in the LA area, consider registering to become a judge. I have.
If you?d like to support the LA Count Science Fair financially, click on the ?Donate? button here. As they say, every dollar counts.
The Los Angeles County Science Fair is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization funded solely through contributions from businesses, corporations, foundations, elected officials, and private parties. Donations are tax-deductible.
Disclosure: Other than having registered as a judge, I am in no way associated with the LA County Science Fair.
This situation functions with BlackBerry cell phones, and telephones who run underneath Search engines's Android platform (i.e., Samsung, HTC, Motorola, and so on.) along with each Symbian operating process (i.e., Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Samsung, etcetera.).
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The 2013 Opel Insignia Sports Tourer has been caught by our spy photographers ahead of a possible unveiling?at the Geneva Motor Show.
Featuring modest changes, the wagon has a new front fascia with a larger grille and distinctive headlights. The rear end is heavily camouflaged, but we can expect some minor tweaks including a new bumper and restyled taillights.
Engine options remain a mystery, but the model could adopt the new 1.6-liter CDTI Ecotec?that develops 136 HP (100 kW) and 320 Nm (236 lb-ft) of torque. There have also been rumors about an upgraded OPC variant with a turbocharged 2.8-liter V6 engine that develops as much as 400 hp (298 kW).
WASHINGTON (AP) ? In a spectacular fall from political prominence, former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. and his wife agreed Friday to plead guilty to federal charges growing out of what prosecutors said was a scheme to use $750,000 in campaign funds for lavish personal expenses, including a $43,000 gold watch and furs.
Federal prosecutors filed one charge of conspiracy against the former Chicago congressman and charged his ex-alderman wife, Sandra, with one count of filing false joint federal income tax returns for the years 2006 through 2011 that knowingly understated the income the couple received. Both agreed to plead guilty in plea deals with federal prosecutors.
The son of a famed civil rights leader, Jackson, a Democrat, entered Congress in 1995 and resigned last November. Sandi, as she's known, was a Chicago alderman, but resigned last month amid the federal investigation.
Jackson used campaign money to buy such things as a $43,350 on a gold-plated, men's Rolex watch and $9,587.64 on children's furniture, according to court papers filed in the case. His wife spent $5,150 on fur capes and parkas, the document said.
"I offer no excuses for my conduct, and I fully accept my responsibility for the improper decisions and mistakes I have made," the ex-congressman said in a written statement released by his lawyers. "I want to offer my sincerest apologies ... for my errors in judgment and while my journey is not yet complete, it is my hope that I am remembered for things that I did right."
The government said, "Defendant Jesse L. Jackson Jr., willingly and knowingly, used approximately $750,000 from the campaign's accounts for personal expenses" that benefited him and his co-conspirator, who was not named in the one-count criminal information filed in the case. The filing of a criminal information means a defendant has waived the right to have a grand jury consider the case; it is used by federal prosecutors when they have reached a deal for a guilty plea.
The prosecutors' court filing said that upon conviction, Jackson must forfeit $750,000, plus tens of thousands of dollars worth of memorabilia items and furs. The memorabilia includes a football signed by U.S. presidents, a Michael Jackson and Eddie Van Halen guitar, a Michael Jackson fedora, Martin Luther King Jr. memorabilia, Malcolm X memorabilia, Jimi Hendrix memorabilia and Bruce Lee memorabilia ? all from a company called Antiquities of Nevada.
Published reports said Jackson could face 46 to 57 months in prison under sentencing guidelines, but there was no immediate confirmation of what, if any, sentence he and prosecutors had agreed to recommend to U.S. District Court Judge Reggie Walton, who was assigned the case.
Tom Kirsch, an attorney for Jackson's wife said she has signed a plea agreement with federal prosecutors and would plead guilty to one tax count.
Kirsch said his client and her husband have supported each other. He said the episode has been stressful for Sandi Jackson, but she "expected to be held responsible ... and wants to put (it) behind her and her family."
The charge against Sandi Jackson carries a maximum of three-year prison sentence. But Kirsch says the agreement "does not contemplate a sentence of that length."
The court papers said that Jackson filed false financial reports with the U.S. House of Representatives in an attempt to conceal his and his wife's conversion of campaign funds for their personal benefit.
A black and red cashmere cape cost $1,500, a mink reversible parka cost $1,200 and a black fox reversible cost $1,500, prosecutors wrote.
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Associated Press writer Michael Tarm in Chicago contributed to this report.
Our Lady Peace?s Jeremy Taggart once tried out for the Atlanta Braves. (JACK BOLAND/TORONTO SUN)
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A few weeks ago, I was invited to do Off The Record with Michael Landsberg and was stoked to discover that one of the other guests was Jeremy Taggart, the outstanding drummer from the Canadian alternative rock band Our Lady Peace.
The chance to connect with someone like Taggart was exciting because, well, like a lot of other guys, I always wanted to be a drummer. From the time I was as big as a cat, I?ve pounded on tables, desks, dashboards ... anything, anytime, anywhere, basically non-stop. The only time I?m not tapping is in my sleep, and even then I?m not sure. My daughter Bubba grew up thinking she was a cymbal. I should have named her Zildjian.
Unfortunately, I never had the discipline to carry it through. The old man putting his foot through my bass drum and then throwing my kit in the snow bank didn?t help. But that?s why I?ve always admired ?real? drummers, guys who have the chops and the discipline, and put themselves out there every day.
I never mentioned any of this to Taggart before the show, but I almost jumped out of my chair late in the program when Landsberg invited him to drum on a table. Later, I got a call from one of my buddies, Steve Chalmers, who, after watching OTR, asked how I felt when Taggart was drumming away.
?How do you think I felt?? I said.
?I bet you wanted to join in,? he said.
Are you kidding? I was dying.
The good news is, besides being a great drummer, Taggart is a helluva nice guy, and when I asked him if we could rap about his drumming and his love of sports, he was into it. Turns out there?s more to Taggart?s love of sports than just being a fan.
At one point in his life, before he took up drums in a serious way, Taggart had dreams of becoming a pro ball player. And it wasn?t just some Walter Mitty daydream. The dude had some serious pitching skills.
From the ages of four to 16, when he decided to give up mitts for sticks, Taggart?s dreams were on the field. He lived and breathed baseball, pitching mostly, and thanks to an obsessive work ethic, developed into a solid hurler.
?I practised to the point of insanity,? said Taggart. ?I used to pitch two-to-three hours every single day with my dad. I always had a leg-up on other players because I was the only one practising (that much). For 12 years, me and my dad worked super-hard at baseball. That was it for him.?
When Taggart eventually quit baseball to pursue a career on the drums, his dad was devastated, despite the fact that Ron Taggart was once a professional drummer himself.
?My quitting baseball was kind of a rope around my dad?s neck, in a sense,? said Taggart. ?He was a professional drummer who gave it up for his family because it was impossible to feed everybody and be a drummer, though he was very good.?
Ron worked at the Sears warehouse in Rexdale for 23 years and, while giving up a career as a musician was difficult, he did pass on his love of the drums ? and baseball ? to his son. The family moved around the province frequently when Jeremy was young, but he played at the highest level of youth ball wherever they went and dreamt of becoming a pro.
?At 16, I could hit 85 mph and I was pretty accurate,? he said. ?I could really find the corners, and those are the kind of pitchers that usually end up doing well.?
Taggart threw two no-hitters and a perfect game during his rep career and once fanned 21 batters in a game. He also attended an Atlanta Braves tryout camp in Toronto. But as he got older, he realized that, as good as he was, there were other kids out there even better. It?s a familiar story.
?When I went to the actual training camps, you could see the talent. I saw guys who were 6-foot-4 and could throw 90 miles an hour,? said Taggart, who checked in at about 5-foot-8 and 145 pounds. ?I could drop (a pitch) about a foot, I could take out a lot of guys. But all I had was accuracy and a brain.?
Sadly, in his late teens, Taggart became disillusioned with baseball. Not so much with the game itself, but with the politics of sport and some of his coaches.
?We weren?t a very well-to-do family and I was always on rep teams, and the coaches and the parents, well, it can be very clique-y,? he said.
Late in his ball career, one of Taggart?s coaches faced sexual assault charges as a result of an incident with a player. That was it. He quit baseball and concentrated on drumming, practising ?12 hours a day for three years.? The commitment paid off.
Though Taggart had only been drumming in a serious way for a relatively short time, he brought it. In 1993, Our Lady Peace held open auditions. Taggart, who was all of 17 years old, beat out dozens of hardcore drummers to get the gig. So while one life ended, another began, though it was a bittersweet time.
?I was done with the game and I hated it, and it was actually sad when I quit baseball in 1992 because I didn?t watch the Jays win the ?92 and ?93 World Series,? he said.
Eventually, though, as OLP became more and more successful, and Taggart settled into his drumming career, his love of baseball returned.
?It wasn?t until I was on tour and comfortable in my own skin again that I started to realize how much I loved baseball,? he said. ?Every year I would write a history of baseball for my speech at school, I collected baseball cards, I was a huge fan of the history of the sport. So I knew it would come back, but it?s sad that I missed those two World Series.?
Like practically every other baseball fan in this city, Taggart is pumped about the Jays? chances this season. But it?s not just baseball that turns his crank. The man is a total sports freak. Check out his Twitter account (@Taggart7), including this post from Sunday afternoon: ?#Raptors game tonight. Gladly missing the Grammys for courty?s! Levon tribute everyday in my house anyway.?
Taggart adores baseball and golf the most (he?s a five handicap and will watch the entire European Tour tournaments on TV or his laptop), but is also a diehard Leafs, Raptors and Argos fan and tweets off almost every game. He?s currently in discussions with TSN on some sports/music related projects.
When OLP is touring, Taggart isn?t the only guy on his laptop every day checking stats and scores. The other guys in the band ? lead vocalist Raine Maida, bassist Duncan Coutts and guitarist Steve Mazur ? are all big sports fans. So much so that they named their last record, the group?s eighth studio album, Curve and put Canadian boxing legend George Chuvalo on the cover. The band contacted Chuvalo?s wife Joanne with the idea of using his picture and Taggart said getting to know Chuvalo, widely considered the toughest boxer in history, was a total blast.
?Absolutely unreal,? said Taggart. ?He?s such a sweetheart. He?s an icon and deserves tenfold (more) than what he?s received.?
To the members of OLP, recording a boxing-themed album wasn?t a total reach. In a blog he wrote for AOL, Maida explained what he considered the similarities between rockers and fighters: ?There are strong emotional and physical similarities between the two. The boxer skillfully relies on rhythm and improvisation to control a fight. An artist relies on rhythm and improvisation to help guide the listener. The boxer uses footwork, punching combinations and tempo to attack and escape his opponent. The artist uses chord progressions, melody and tempo to help the listener escape. Either in the ring or on stage, both the fighter and artist put a piece of their soul on display in a fascinating struggle of determination and acceptance. It?s a struggle for affirmation that their work and life force are worthwhile. This war is an age old battle between ego and the sacred self. One designed to fight, the other to heal.?
That last line resonates big-time. Sitting in the Sun cafeteria, Taggart is asked: When drumming certain songs or listening to a great drum groove, does he ever get emotional, or perhaps even shed a tear?
?Absolutely,? he said. ?Drumming has healing properties. It keeps you young, it keeps you less depressed, it keeps you happy.?
That totally rings true. Even to a guy whose drum kit includes kitchen tables, desks and dashboards.
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THIS LITTLE DRUMMER BOY BECAME A PAPER BOY
I?m not the writer Steve Buffery is and I was never a drummer of Jeremy Taggert?s skill or accomplishments. But as those two wonder what might have been, I have to consider how fortunate I was to be able to pursue both passions ? though, regrettably, not at the same time.
Like Jeremy, I came from a highly musical family. Dad played drums professionally, mom the piano. My first cousin, the late Rick Danko, played bass for The Band and distant cousin Bobby Colomby was the drummer for Blood, Sweat and Tears. My sister, Caren Cole, is currently touring with the Jersey Boys while kid brother Danny has been a long-time jazz and blues bassist around T.O.
For me, however, it came down to a difficult decision. During the long-hair 1970s, my career in sports journalism was just beginning at the same time that I was drumming in a small handful of bands, doing everything from hard rock to Hava Nagila. Problem was, most of my drum gigs came the same weekend nights as I was supposed to be covering the local junior hockey team or a high-school hoops tournament. It became obvious that something had to go. As I knew I was never going to be the next John Bonham, I opted for the next Frank Orr and the drums were mothballed and eventually sold.
Haven?t touched a pair of drumsticks since, though I?ve never been able to stop slapping out those Neil Peart and Bill Bruford licks on whatever table top or steering wheel happens to be handy.
Welcome to the BCM21892. It may sound like every other piece of Broadcom silicon we've covered, but it actually represents an important move from a company that is eager to start pecking at Qualcomm's lunch. First and foremost, this is a 4G modem for flagship phones rather than any budget fare, with support for LTE-Advanced and data speeds of up to 150Mb/s. To deliver that kind of performance, carriers either need 20MHz of contiguous bandwidth -- a rarity these days -- or they need carrier aggregation technology, which allows a modem to exploit separate chunks of bandwidth simultaneously. The BCM21892 boasts that spec too, not to mention compatibility with most of the popular network standards in use around the world, from the TD and FD types of LTE right down to HSPA+, TD-SCDMA and EDGE/GSM. Finally, through a combination of small transistors (28nm) and clever algorithms, the chip is claimed to reduce power consumption by 25 percent compared to rival devices, and also to take up less space -- potentially leaving more room for other goodies (Broadcom suggests NFC). The chip is still only at the the sampling stage, however, so the folks at Qualcomm shouldn't have too much to worry about until at least 2014.
People in China expressed concern on Wednesday to North Korea's third nuclear test. The test has drawn condemnation from around the world, including from its longtime ally, China.
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On the streets of Beijing, Chinese newspapers carried headlines echoing China's unusually angry reaction to the test.
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The underground explosion on Tuesday sent tremors that were felt strongly on the Chinese side of the border.
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For many Beijing residents, the blast was too close to home.
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[Mr. Li, Beijing Resident]:?
"I have paid close attention to it, because it happened too close to China. I think the Xinhua news agency said it only happened a few dozen kilometers away, and the local people all felt over a minute of tremors. it really is too scary. If there was any mistake, any nuclear leak would be just a few dozen kilometers away. It's terrifying."
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North Korea conducted the test in defiance of U.N. resolutions. Pyongyang said it was an act of self-defense against "U.S. hostility."
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During an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council, members expressed they "strongly condemned" the test.
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The Chinese Foreign Ministry said it has summoned the North Korean ambassador in Beijing and to express their dissatisfaction.
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Analysts said the test was a major embarrassment to the Chinese regime. It is North Korea's biggest economic and diplomatic ally, and will likely continue to resist tougher sanctions against its neighbor.
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[Shi Yinhong, Renmin University, Beijing]:
"China still won't support extremely wide and strict United Nations sanctions against North Korea, because this will heavily impact China's regular trade relations with North Korea.?
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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has presided over two long-range rocket launches and a nuclear test during his first year in power.?
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This latest test was of a "miniaturized" nuclear device, suitable for use as a missile warhead. Analysts say this could take North Korea one step closer to becoming a nuclear armed country.
While audiences may not be saying, ?Please, sir, I want some more,? Hollywood can?t go more than a handful of years without returning to a beloved piece of source material. For the latest, Sony Pictures is attempting to give us another take on the Charles Dickens? classic novel Oliver Twist, but this time with a twist of its own.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the studio has set Cole Haddon (creator of NBC?s Dracula) on Dodge and Twist, a film that follows our main character and his pickpocketing cohort?Artful Dodger. In this version, it?s 20 years down the road from the Dickens tale and we follow the duo as rivals on opposite sides of the law as they battle for Crown Jewels.
An?Oliver Twist?action blockbuster? This one is said to bring to mind Guy Ritchie?s Sherlock Holmes and The Amazing Spider-Man?s Matt Tolmach?will produce the project, so if that doesn?t lose your interest already, we?re not sure what will. I hate to rag on projects that are in the development stage, but we?ll take the David Lean take?over this one any day, or even the 2005 version from Roman Polanski (and yes, that photo above of the 2007 TV version does feature a pre-Bronson?Tom Hardy, in case you were wondering).
Which version of Oliver Twist have you enjoyed? What do you think of this project?
FILE - In this July 21, 2012, file photo, Atlanta Braves center fielder Michael Bourn catches a ball off the bat of Washington Nationals' Roger Bernadina during the first inning of the second baseball game of a doubleheader in Washington. Bourn agreed to a four-year, $48 million contract with the Cleveland Indians on Monday, Feb. 11, 2013. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)
FILE - In this July 21, 2012, file photo, Atlanta Braves center fielder Michael Bourn catches a ball off the bat of Washington Nationals' Roger Bernadina during the first inning of the second baseball game of a doubleheader in Washington. Bourn agreed to a four-year, $48 million contract with the Cleveland Indians on Monday, Feb. 11, 2013. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)
CLEVELAND (AP) ? Criticized for not spending enough on free agents in recent years, the Indians splurged on another star.
The club agreed to terms Monday with outfielder Michael Bourn on a four-year, $48 million contract. It's the second major deal this winter for the Indians, who signed free agent Nick Swisher to a four-year, $56 million contract in January.
Bourn, who was an All-Star with Atlanta last season, must pass a physical later this week in Goodyear, Ariz., before the deal can be completed. Bourn batted .274 with nine homers, 57 RBIs and 42 steals last season for the Braves. It's not yet known when Bourn will have his medical exam.
As long as there isn't a hang-up, the 30-year-old Bourn, who has remained on the market all winter, will move into the Indians' starting lineup. The speedster played center field last season and would give an immediate boost to a Cleveland team that has reloaded with the acquisition of Swisher, manager Terry Francona and starter Brett Myers.
Fox Sports first reported Bourn's deal.
Bourn, a two-time All-Star, Gold Glove winner and three-time steals leader in the NL, had also been pursued by the New York Mets and Chicago Cubs.
Getting Bourn will cost the Indians picks in June's amateur draft. But it's a small price for a player who will help them score more runs, improve their attendance ? Cleveland averaged just 19,797 fans at home ? and maybe even close the gap on Detroit in the AL Central.
The surprise signing caught one of Bourn's new teammates off guard.
"Did we just sign Michael Bourn?" second baseman Jason Kipnis asked on his Twitter page.
Bourn, a .272 career hitter in seven seasons with Philadelphia, Houston and Atlanta, could wind up in a starting outfield alongside Swisher and Michael Brantley. The Indians also acquired center fielder Drew Stubbs in a trade with Cincinnati, giving Francona options and depth. It's possible Swisher could be moved to first or even be used as the club's designated hitter. Mark Reynolds, also signed during the offseason, can play first or DH.
The deal for Bourn also comes after the Indians signed slugger Jason Giambi and pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka to minor league deals this last weekend. Matsuzaka must still pass a physical with the club.
The Indians collapsed in the second half last season, finishing 68-94 and 20 games behind the first-place Tigers. Manager Manny Acta was fired after Cleveland lost at least 90 games for the third time in four seasons.
But beginning with the hiring of Francona, the Indians have shown they're not going to sit around and wait for things to improve.
Marguette and Georgetown meet tonight, and the odds makers are expecting a battle. Which of these hot rivals will collect in this Big East matchup, and where can we cash in with our NCAA Basketball picks?
The No. 20 Georgetown Hoyas have notched a 7-1 spread
record in their past eight games, capped off with a streak of five straight
cashed tickets. Monday?s college hoops betting has John Thompson III?s squad
hosting the No. 24 Marquette Golden Eagles, who are 3-1 ATS in their four road
dates of Big East Conference play.?
Hoyas, Porter edge out Rutgers?
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Georgetown?s latest victory came with Saturday?s 69-63
win as a 4 ?-point road favorite over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. The Hoyas
connected from the field at a 57.4 percent clip, with top scorer Markel Starks
knocking down 8-of-12 en route to 20 points.
Hoyas forward Otto Porter logged 19 points and a
team-high 14 boards, finishing with his second double-double in four games. The
sophomore united with Starks for seven assists, while mate Mikael Hopkins
recorded two of his side?s three blocks.
The battle?s 132 points jumped above the ?total? of 119
?, lifting the OVER to 3-0 in Georgetown?s last trio of matchups. Both squads
combined to hit 14-of-31 buckets beyond the arc, while the Hoyas outrebounded
Rutgers, 28-25.
Eagles, Blue hold off DePaul
Marquette notched its latest triumph on the same day of
action, logging an 89-78 victory over the DePaul Blue Demons. The Golden Eagles
allowed 49.2 percent shooting from the floor, while falling short of cashing as
14-point home ?chalk.?
Golden Eagles guard Vander Blue led his squad?s scoring
with 18 points, while adding three rebounds. Marquette?s Junior Cadougan and
Trent Lockett combined for 11 assists, with the duo?s mate Chris Otule
connecting 5-of-5 field buckets for 10 points.
The duel?s 167 points leaped beyond the ?total? of 150,
ending a 3-0 UNDER run from the Golden Eagles? last three affairs. Blue notched
a perfect 8-for-8 day at the foul line, with both foes uniting to hit 35-of-39
free throws.
Back Marquette on the road?
The NCAA basketball odds opened Georgetown as a 4 ?-point home
favorite, while first setting the ?total? at 122. The Hoyas resume action in
Friday?s matchup with the No. 17 Cincinnati Bearcats, while Marquette hosts the
No. 23 Pittsburgh Panthers as part of Saturday?s college hoops card.
I am taking the points in this spot, adding a ticket on
Marquette to Monday?s sports picks. The Golden Eagles have won the rebounding
battle in eight of their last 10 games, including a sizable margin of 34-25 in
January?s 49-48 home win over Georgetown.?
The Hoyas may find themselves dropping this rematch by a
bigger margin without Greg Whittington?s presence this time around. Whittington
logged 13 points and a team-high eight boards, but has been without Georgetown
in recent duels due to academic ineligibility.
The Golden Eagles collected as 4 ?-point road dogs in
last January?s 73-70 defeat to the Hoyas, despite a stellar 62.8 percent night
of shooting from the Hoyas. Look for another cashed ticket here, with the
points coming in handy down the stretch again.
Pick:? Marquette Golden Eagles +4 ?? (Bookmaker.eu)
HAVANA (Reuters) - Colombia and the Marxist FARC rebels said on Sunday their talks aimed at ending half a century of conflict are picking up the pace and making progress toward an agreement on land reform, a key point in the peace process.
Speaking as they ended their latest round of negotiations in the Cuban capital, negotiators signaled that the public acrimony they had displayed in recent weeks did not reflect what was happening behind closed doors.
Rodrigo Granda, a senior leader of the FARC, or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, said discussions were on the right track and moving "at the speed of a bullet train."
Lead government negotiator Humberto de la Calle was more measured, but said "the pace has improved and we have to maintain and preserve it."
They are trying to end a war that dates to the FARC's formation in 1964 as a communist agrarian reform movement fighting Colombia's long history of social inequality and the concentration of land in the hands of a few.
Tens of thousands of people have died and millions more have been displaced in the war, Latin America's longest running insurgency and a vestige of the Cold War.
The two sides traded barbs before the current round of talks, when the FARC conducted attacks and kidnapped three people after the government refused to join them in a ceasefire.
The rebels also have issued statements calling for a halt to, among other things, foreign investment in oil exploration and mining in Colombia.
De la Calle said FARC's positions during negotiations are different.
"One thing is what the FARC says publicly as part of its platform ... and another thing is what it says at the table," he said.
The talks are built on a five-point agenda addressing the issues that provoked and prolonged the war, starting with land reform and rural development.
The FARC has proposed giving a broad swathe of Colombia to the poor, but the government has said land will not be taken from private landowners.
In a statement, the delegations said they discussed an "exhaustive analysis" of land reform and had drawn closer on "the proposal to give progressive access to land to the greatest number of Colombians possible that do not have it."
They said they had briefed representatives of Chile and Venezuela, who are aiding the peace process, on their progress.
Remaining issues include FARC's future political participation, ending the conflict, compensation for victims of the war and drug trafficking, which has helped fund the group for years.
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has said he wants the peace process wrapped up by November.
He initiated the talks on the bet that the FARC has been sufficiently weakened by a decade-long U.S.-backed offensive and is ready for peace.
The rebels are estimated to have 9,000 troops, who have been pushed into increasingly remote areas by the offensive.
De la Calle said the next round of talks would start on February 18.
(Reporting by Jeff Franks; Editing by Doina Chiacu)
Question: If you were to emphasize one important area that every affiliate manager should be paying more attention to, what would it be and why?
Empirical research on the effects of science fair participation seems scant, but the research that does exist suggests that participation is generally a positive experience for students, that participation increases scientific literacy, and, importantly, that participation results in an increased understanding the process of science. 
